remove

play

verb re·move \ ri-ˈmüv \

Definition of remove

removed; removing

transitive verb

1 a :to change the location, position, station, or residence of

remove soldiers to the front

b :to transfer (a legal proceeding) from one court to another

2 :to move by lifting, pushing aside, or taking away or off

remove your hat

3 :to dismiss from office

4 :to get rid of :eliminate

remove a tumor surgically

intransitive verb

1 :to change location, station, or residence

removing from the city to the suburbs

2 :to go away

3 :to be capable of being removed

—

removability

play \-ˌmü-və-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

removable

or less commonly removeable play \ri-ˈmü-və-bəl\ adjective

—

removableness

play \-ˈmü-və-bəl-nəs\ noun

—

removably

play \-blē\ adverb

—

remover

noun

See remove defined for English-language learners

See remove defined for kids

Examples of remove in a Sentence

Remove the trash from the front yard.
My tonsils were removed when I was five years old.
Trees help to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
These new findings should remove any doubt about his innocence.
What's a good way to remove stains from a silk dress?
The new law would remove obstacles to obtaining a work permit.
He was removed from office.

Recent Examples of remove from the Web

Sociology professor Kenneth L. Storey posted the tweet and two responses on Sunday before removing the entire thread and his profile photo.

— Bloomberg.com, "University Fires Professor Who Blamed Harvey on Texas Voting Republican," 29 Aug. 2017
Gonzaga Prep Bullpups The Bullpups are just two years removed from their state title, and continue to be motivated.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Where do the top teams fall in the Seattle Times preseason high school football rankings?," 28 Aug. 2017
In Chicago, a campaign is underway to remove a monument to Italo Balbo, an Italian air marshal, which the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini presented to the city in 1933.

— trip gabriel, New York Times, "Far From Dixie, Outcry Grows Over a Wider Array of Monuments," 25 Aug. 2017
Bevin asserted both negative and positive off-topic comments have been removed from his social media and both positive and negative comments that stay on topic remain on his accounts.

— matthew glowicki, The Courier-Journal, "Bevin answers ACLU's lawsuit and says blocking followers on social media within his rights," 24 Aug. 2017
Use it once a week to remove product build-up and help your scalp grow the healthiest hair possible.

— harper's bazaar staff, Harper's BAZAAR, "Paris's Top Hair Colorist Spills His Secrets," 23 Aug. 2017
Odelson said an amendment to a Senate bill recently introduced would remove that restriction for people such as his client.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Would-be Markham mayor plans appeal after court loss," 22 Aug. 2017
These concerns have led to a flurry of activity to remove or relocate Confederate statues.

— malaika jabali, Essence.com, "Black Women Want The Statue Of This Famed Gynocolegist To Come Down For Good Reason," 22 Aug. 2017
Calls to remove Confederate statues and other symbols have intensified after this month's deadly car attack at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

— melissa reinert, Cincinnati.com, "New 'Rebels' logo replaces Confederate mascot at Boone Co. High School," 21 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'remove.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of remove

Middle English remeven, removen, from Anglo-French remuver, removeir, from Latin removēre, from re- + movēre to move

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

remove Synonyms

Synonyms

doff, douse, peel (off), put off, shrug off, take off

Antonyms

don, put on, slip (into), throw (on)

Related Words

husk, shed; kick (off); disrobe, strip, undress

Near Antonyms

wear; apparel, array, attire, bedeck, clothe, dress, garb, rig, robe, suit

remove

noun

Definition of remove

1 :removal; specifically :move 2c

2 a :a distance or interval separating one person or thing from another

b :a degree or stage of separation

See remove defined for English-language learners

Examples of remove in a Sentence

She thrives when she's at some remove from mainstream society.
their farm is just a remove of two miles from the town center

Recent Examples of remove from the Web

That time-capsule quality will be true of all of the observations Webb makes of stars and nebulae and other structures at the most distant removes of space.

— jeffrey kluger, Time, "Eyes In the Sky," 22 June 2017
Kohl had to watch from the remove of the political opposition as the second of his two great dreams came to fruition — the unifying of Europe into a single trading zone with a shared currency, the euro.

— carol j. williams, The Seattle Times, "Helmut Kohl, Germany’s ‘chancellor of unity’ who was marred by scandal, dies at 87," 16 June 2017
For the most part, those moneyed interests have watched this battle from the safe remove of the West Side, as activists target an unlikely foe: artists.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "The 'Artwashing' of America: The Battle for the Soul of Los Angeles Against Gentrification," 21 May 2017
On the drop curtain there’s a giant skull viewed from the side, a spinal cord and what appears to be a trachea at a disturbing remove from the spine.

— ann murphy, The Mercury News, "San Francisco Ballet’s ‘Frankenstein’: Compelling but flawed," 18 Feb. 2017

First Known Use of remove

1553

remove Synonyms

Synonyms

lead, length, distance, spacing, spread, stretch, way

Related Words

altitude, area, breadth, depth, height, rise, space, volume, width; extension, extent; cast, range, reach, scope, shot, sweep, throw; drop, fall, flight, haul; berth, clearance

REMOVE Defined for English Language Learners

remove

play

verb

Definition of remove for English Language Learners

: to move or take (something) away from a place
: to cause (something) to no longer exist
: to force (someone) to leave a job : to dismiss (someone) from a job

remove

noun

Definition of remove for English Language Learners

: a distance separating one person or thing from another

REMOVE Defined for Kids

remove

play

verb re·move \ ri-ˈmüv \

Definition of remove for Students

removed; removing

1 :to move by lifting or taking off or away

Please remove your hat.

I had my tonsils removed.

2 :to get rid of

Bleach will remove the stain.

3 :to dismiss from a job or office

Law Dictionary

remove

play

verb re·move \ ri-ˈmüv \

legal Definition of remove

removed; removing

transitive verb

:to change the location, position, station, status, or residence of: as

a :to have (an action) transferred from one court to another and especially from a state court to a federal court — see also separable controversy

Note: Section 1441 et seq. of title 28 of the U.S. Code allows a defendant who is brought into a state court to remove the action to federal district court when diversity of citizenship exists, when the action involves a claim or right arising under the U.S. Constitution or under laws or treaties of the U.S., or when the defendant is a foreign country or its agency or instrumentality. Civil actions and criminal prosecutions brought against an officer or agency of the U.S. for any act under color of office may also be removed.

b :to dismiss from office

an independent counsel…may be removed from office…only by the personal action of the Attorney General
—U.S. Code

c :to take away

should his incapacity be removed by a judgment of a court
—Louisiana Civil Code

—

removability

play \-ˌmü-və-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

removable

also removeable play \-ˈmü-və-bəl\ adjective

—

removableness

noun

Learn More about remove

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for remove Spanish Central: Translation of remove Nglish: Translation of remove for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of remove for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up remove? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

remove

Definition of remove

removability

removable

removableness

removably

remover

From the M-W Editors

Examples of remove in a Sentence

Recent Examples of remove from the Web

Origin and Etymology of remove

remove Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

remove

Definition of remove

Examples of remove in a Sentence

Recent Examples of remove from the Web

First Known Use of remove

remove Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to REMOVE

Related Phrases

REMOVE Defined for English Language Learners

remove

Definition of remove for English Language Learners

remove

Definition of remove for English Language Learners

REMOVE Defined for Kids

remove

Definition of remove for Students

Law Dictionary

remove

legal Definition of remove

removability

removable

removableness

Learn More about remove

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066